Eyeglasses

ABSTRACT

Eyeglasses, in particular for reading, includes integrated lighting means and corresponding means for activation and de-activation of the lighting means which comprise a gyroscopic sensor of the micro-electromechanical type provided for fading automatically an intensity of the light emitted by the lighting means when, in use, the eyeglasses are moved angularly upwards with respect to a reference position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage of PCT International ApplicationNo. PCT/IB2012/056047, filed on Oct. 31, 2012, and published in Englishon May 10, 2013, as WO 2013/064993 AI, which claims priority fromEuropean Application No. 11187743.7 filed on Nov. 3, 2011, the entiredisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

This application is also related to co-owned U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/356,276 filed concurrently herewith on May 5, 2014, alsoentitled “EYEGLASSES”, which is a national stage of PCT InternationalApplication NO, PCT/IB2G12/056045, filed on Oct. 31, 2012, and publishedin English on May 10, 2013, as WO 2013/064991 AI, which claims priorityfrom European Application No. 11187758.5 filed on Nov. 3, 2011 theentire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

This application is also related to co-owned U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/356,309 filed concurrently herewith on May 5, 2014, alsoentitled “EYEGLASSES”, which is a national stage of PCT InternationalApplication No. PCT/IB2012/056049, filed on Oct. 31, 2012, and publishedin English on May 10, 2013, as WO 2013/064995 AI, which claims priorityfrom European Application No. 11187752.8 filed on Nov. 3, 2011, theentire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to eyeglasses, in particular ofthe type with graduated lenses for reading.

STATE OF THE PRIOR ART

There have already been proposed, for example in the documents Nos. U.S.Pat. No. 7,699,486, U.S.-2007/0013865, and U.S.-2011/013135, eyeglassesof this type provided with integrated lighting means for emitting light,and hence enabling reading, even in poorly illuminated environments,such as theatres, aeroplanes, cinemas, meeting rooms, or similarcontexts.

In these known solutions, activation and de-activation of the lightingmeans integrated in the eyeglasses are normally manual; i.e., theyrequire operation of one or two switches, in the case where independentlighting means are provided for each arm or for each side of the front.There follows the problem that, in the case where the user, when he isreading with the lighting means activated, lifts his head towards aperson to whom he is speaking, the latter gets dazzled, with consequentdiscomfort.

In an attempt to solve this problem, in the Japanese patent document No.JP-9017204 it has been proposed to equip the lighting means integratedin the eyeglasses with an anti-dazzle system designed to cause automaticde-activation thereof in certain conditions. This document, however,does not describe or suggest any technical solution able to implementsaid function of automatic switching-off in so far as it is limitedsimply to proposing the idea without explaining how it can beimplemented.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,196,543 and 2,964,613 disclose eyeglasses correspondingto the pre-characterizing part of claim 1, wherein the means foractivation and deactivation of the light means of the eyeglassesconsists of an on-off mercury switch: the light is switched on when theeyeglasses worn by the user is moved downwardly and is switched off whenthe eyeglasses are again moved upwards.

U.S.-2008/273166 discloses an eyeglasses frame provided with a microgyro, i.e. a gyroscopic micro-sensor controlling an electro-active lens.Even in this case the sensor operates in an on-off fashion: the lens isactivated, for instance in terms of different focus or tint, when thewearer's head moves to a first position angled steeply down relative tothe horizon, and once activated remains on until the wearer's head movesto a second position at an angle slightly above the horizon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is hence to provide a solution thatis simple, functional, and effective for translating into practice theidea of automatic switching-off of the lighting means with the aim ofpreventing the situations of dazzling referred to above.

According to the invention, the above object is achieved thanks to thefact that the eyeglasses further comprise control means of thegyroscopic-inclinometer type configured for fading automatically theintensity of the light emitted by the aforesaid lighting means when, inuse, the eyeglasses are moved angularly upwards with respect to areference angular position.

Thanks to this idea of solution, it is hence possible to manageautomatically, as a function of the position in space of the eyeglassesworn by the user, a progressive fading of the light emitted by thelighting means, which conveniently proceeds as far as an angularposition of complete switching-off or of minimum light intensity.

The reference angular position and the angular position of switching-offor of minimum intensity can advantageously be set via a manual selector,and the angular range between said positions may be, for example, in theregion of 30°-40° or more.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the lightingmeans comprise a pair of LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which surface infront of the end where each arm is articulated to the front and are seton top of one another so as to generate an appreciably wide lightingrange.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to theannexed drawings, which are provided purely by way of non-limitingexample, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view that represents schematically oneembodiment of the eyeglasses according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view that shows the electrical diagram of thelighting circuit and of the corresponding control means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It should be noted that the aesthetic configuration of the eyeglassesexemplified in FIG. 1 is not to be considered as in any way limiting,but should be understood simply as representing one of the multipleembodiments of eyeglasses designed to incorporate the peculiarcharacteristics of the invention.

The eyeglasses represented in the example comprise, in a way in itselfgenerally known, a front 1 bearing a pair of lenses 2, more inparticular of the graduated reading type, and a pair of arms 3, 4articulated to the sides of the front via respective hinges, designatedas a whole by 5 and 6 in FIG. 2. The arms 3, 4 are able to turn betweenthe extended position of use represented in the figures, in which theyextend substantially in a direction orthogonal to the front 1, and afolded position, in which they are laid against the front.

According to the invention, the eyeglasses incorporate a front lightingsystem to enable the user to read in conditions of poor lighting. Saidlighting system comprises two pairs of LEDs (light-emitting diodes)surfacing from the ends where the arms 3, 4 are articulated to the front1. The LEDs 7, 8 of each pair are arranged and oriented so as togenerate a relatively wide light beam: as is illustrated in FIG. 1 (andunlike the scheme of FIG. 2) they are conveniently arranged in aconfiguration where they are set on top of one another.

The two pairs of LEDs 7, 8 are conveniently housed within respectiverecesses having a conical or curved shape, treated so as to present ahighly reflecting surface in order to maximize light emission.

With reference to FIG. 2 the electrical circuit for activation andde-activation of the LEDs 7, 8 will now be described in detail.

Incorporated inside the arm 3 is an electronic card designated as awhole by 9, operatively associated to which is a manual selector 10, thefunctions of which will be described in greater detail in what follows.Incorporated inside the other arm 4 is a supply battery 11, convenientlyof the lithium-polymer rechargeable type. The battery 11, which isaccessible for being recharged through an openable hatch (notillustrated) present on the arm 4, is electrically connected to theelectronic card 9 via first conductors 12 incorporated along the front 1and coming under stationary contacts 13, 14 surfacing at the ends of thefront 1. The stationary contacts 13, 14 are designed to co-operate withrespective mobile contacts 15, 16 surfacing laterally from the arms 4, 3in the proximity of the respective articulation hinges 6, 5.

The electronic card 9 is directly connected to the LEDs 7 carried by thearm 3, which are in turn connected to the LEDs 8 carried by the arm 4through second conductors 17, which are likewise incorporated along thefront 1, and via mobile contacts 18, 19 surfacing laterally from thearms 3, 4 in the proximity of the mobile contacts 16, 15. Said mobilecontacts 16, 15 co-operate with respective stationary contacts 20, 21surfacing from the ends of the front 1 in the proximity of thestationary contacts 14, 13.

With the arrangement described above, the electrical connection betweenthe stationary contacts 14, 20 and the mobile contacts 16, 18 on the onehand, and between the stationary contacts 13, 21 and the mobile contacts15, 19 on the other is obtained when the arms 3, 4 are set in theextended condition of use of the eyeglasses represented in the drawings,whereas said connection is interrupted when the arms 3, 4 are closedagainst the front 1.

The electronic card 9, which can be activated and de-activated manuallyvia the selector 10 for controlling voluntary switching-on andswitching-off of the LEDs 7, 8, incorporates an anti-dazzle device 9Aprovided for varying automatically the intensity of the light emittedwhen, in use, the eyeglasses are moved angularly upwards with respect toa reference angular position. Said automatic variation of intensity canconsist in an instantaneous switching-off or else, more conveniently, ina fading from a condition of maximum lighting to a condition of minimumlighting or even of total switching-off of the LEDs 7 and 8.

According to the invention, said anti-dazzle device is constituted by agyroscopic sensor of a microelectromechanical (MEMS) type 9A, forexample of the type produced and marketed by STMicroelectronics underthe trade name LYPR540AH or else under the trade name FC30.

The reference angular position corresponding to the condition of maximumlight intensity and the angular position of switching-off or else ofminimum light intensity generated by the LEDs 7, 8 can be both set, forexample, via one and the same selector 10. The reference angularposition will typically correspond to the inclination assumed by theeyeglasses when the user who wears them is reading, whereas the angularposition of switching-off or of minimum intensity will correspond to theinclination assumed by the eyeglasses when the user turns his headupwards, for example to look at a person to whom he is speaking. Theangular range of variation between the two positions may be, forexample, in the region of 30°-40° or more.

The selector 10 may also be used for varying manually the lightintensity of the LEDs 7, 8: in this case, in order to be able to performall the functions described, said selector 10 may be able to turnbetween a position of switching-off and a position of switching-on ofthe control card 9, which can be displaced by being pressed for settingand selecting the reference angular position and the angular position ofswitching-off or of reduced intensity, and can be translated along thearm 3 for regulating manually said light intensity. Obviously, saidfunctions may be activated via commands of a different type, even onesdistinct and separate from one another.

The electronic card 9 can also incorporate a possible voice-recognitionsensor to enable the user to identify the eyeglasses in the mostimmediate way in the case where they happen to get mislaid.

Of course, the details of construction and the embodiments may varywidely with respect to what has been described and illustrated herein,without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention asdefined in the ensuing claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. Eyeglasses comprising: a front with a pairof lenses, a first arm and a second arm articulated to sides of thefront via respective hinges, integrated lighting means for emittinglight in front of the eyeglasses; means for activation and de-activationof the lighting means; and gyroscopic-sensor control means of themicro-electromechanical type configured for fading automatically anintensity of the light emitted by said lighting means when, in use, theeyeglasses are moved angularly upwards with respect to a referenceangular position.
 2. The eyeglasses according to claim 1, wherein saidcontrol means are designed to reduce the intensity of the light in aprogressive way as far as an angular position of switching-off or ofminimum intensity.
 3. The eyeglasses according to claim 2, wherein saidangular position of switching-off or of minimum intensity can be set viaa manual selector.
 4. The eyeglasses of claim 3, wherein the eyeglassesare reading glasses.
 5. The eyeglasses according to claim 2, wherein theangular range between said reference angular position and said angularposition of switching-off or of minimum intensity is substantially in aregion of 30°-40° or more.
 6. The eyeglasses according to claim 2,wherein said reference angular position can be set via a manualselector.
 7. The eyeglasses according to claim 1, wherein said referenceangular position can be set via a manual selector.
 8. The eyeglassesaccording to claim 7, wherein said angular position of switching-off orof minimum intensity can be set via a manual selector.
 9. The eyeglassesaccording to claim 1, wherein said lighting means comprise a pair ofLEDs surfacing from an end where each arm is articulated to the front.10. The eyeglasses according to claim 9, wherein said LEDs of each pairare set on top of one another.
 11. The eyeglasses according to claim 10,wherein said first arm comprises said control means with said gyroscopicinclinometer and the second arm comprises a rechargeable supply battery,and for the electrical connection between said battery, said controlmeans, and said LEDs stationary contacts are provided, arranged at sidesof the front and interconnected by respective conductors incorporatedwithin said front, and mobile contacts, which are carried by ends of thearms and co-operate with said stationary contacts during use of theeyeglasses.
 12. The eyeglasses according to claim 9, wherein the firstarm comprises said control means with said gyroscopic inclinometer andthe second arm comprises a rechargeable supply battery, and for theelectrical connection between said battery, said control means, and saidLEDs stationary contacts are provided, arranged at the sides of thefront and interconnected by respective conductors incorporated withinsaid front, and mobile contacts, which are, carried by ends of the armsand co-operate with said stationary contacts during use of theeyeglasses.
 13. The eyeglasses according to claim 1, further comprisinga manual selector for manual switching-on/switching-off of said lightingmeans.
 14. The eyeglasses according to claim 1, further comprising amanual selector for regulating the intensity of the light emitted bysaid lighting means.
 15. Eyeglasses, comprising: a front with a pair oflenses, a first arm and a second arm articulated to sides of the frontvia respective hinges, an integrated lighting source for emitting lightin front of the eyeglasses, and an actuator for activation andde-activation of the lighting means, a gyroscopic-sensor controller of amicro-electromechanical type coupled to the actuator and configured forfading automatically an intensity of the light emitted by said lightingsource when the eyeglasses are moved angularly upwards with respect to areference angular position.